Warren Smith (singer)
Encyclopedia
Warren Smith was an American
rockabilly
and country music
singer and guitarist.
to Iola and Willie Warren Smith, who divorced when he was young. He was raised by his maternal grandparents in Louise, Mississippi
where they had a small farm and dry goods
store.
Smith took up the guitar to while away his evenings while in the United States Air Force
stationed in San Antonio, Texas. By the time of his discharge from the service, he had decided to make a career of music. He moved to West Memphis, Arkansas
and auditioned, successfully, to play the Cotton Club, a local hot spot. Steel guitarist Stan Kessler, who was playing at that nightclub with the Snearly Ranch Boys, immediately spotted Smith's potential and took him to Sun Records
to audition for Sam Phillips
, with the Snearly Ranch Boys providing backup.
Phillips liked what he heard, and decided that "Rock & Roll Ruby", a song credited to Johnny Cash
, would be Smith's first record. (Smith later claimed that "Rock & Roll Ruby" was actually written by George Jones
and sold to Cash for $40.) Smith recorded it on February 5, 1956. Phillips, who was hedging his bets over whether rock and roll would maintain its popularity, released that record with a country crooner, aptly named "I'd Rather Be Safe Than Sorry", on the flip side. By May 26, "Rock & Roll Ruby" had hit No. 1 on the local pop charts. Smith's first record for Sun went on to outsell the first Sun releases by Elvis Presley
, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins
.
In August 1956, Smith went back to the Sun Records studio to record his second release, "Ubangi Stomp". This infectious rocker had an incorrect lyric including an African chief with the syntax of a movie Indian. For the B side, Smith recorded the classic ballad "Black Jack David
". This song, which originated in early 18th-century Britain and survived in various forms in the mountains of the American south, may be the oldest song ever recorded by a rock and roll performer. Although a resounding artistic success, it did not sell as well as Smith's debut.
In 1957, Smith recorded "So Long, I'm Gone", a song written by Roy Orbison
, and it did become Smith's biggest hit at Sun, peaking at No. 74 nationally (Billboard). But Sun had no cash to promote it at the same time as Sam Phillips put every dollar Sun had behind Jerry Lee Lewis
' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
". Although Smith continued to make rockabilly records for Sun, including a cover version
of Slim Harpo
's "Got Love If Your Want It" (recorded in October 1957), these records did not do well commercially. Toward the end of 1958, Smith, seeing his future in country music
, cut a final record for Sun, a cover version of Don Gibson's
"Sweet Sweet Girl". In spite of a review in Billboard
calling it "ultra commercial", this record also failed to sell. Like other artists such as Sonny Burgess
, Hayden Thompson, Billy Lee Riley
and Ray Harris
, chart success largely eluded him. Smith then decided to leave Sun Records.
In 1959, Smith and his wife and son moved from Mississippi to California, settling in Sherman Oaks, not far from Johnny and Vivian Cash. Cash offered Smith a spot on his show, but Smith turned it down, seeing himself as a headliner, not a supporting player. In early 1960, Smith signed with Liberty Records
, and immediately scored a hit with "I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today", which went to No. 5 on Billboard's Country & Western chart. This record, and Smith's subsequent records, were produced by Joe Allison
, and featured one of California's best country session musicians, Ralph Mooney
, on pedal steel guitar
. Smith scored again with his next record for Liberty, "Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces", written by Harlan Howard
. Liberty had Smith record several more tracks, mostly cover versions of recent country hits, to flesh out an album called The First Country Collection of Warren Smith.
Smith continued to record with some success for Liberty, and to tour with his band, from 1960–1965. On August 17, 1965, Smith had a serious car accident in LaGrange, Texas, suffering serious back injuries from which it took him nearly a year to recover. By this time, his contract with Liberty had lapsed. Smith made several attempts to restart his career, first with a small, virtually amateur label called Skill Records, then for Mercury Records
; but addictions to pills and alcohol held him back. Eventually, Smith's drug problems led to an 18-month term in an Alabama prison for robbing a pharmacy.
After his release from prison, Smith continued to struggle to restart his career. In the late 1970s, he got a bit of a boost from the rockabilly revival then occurring. He was invited, in 1977, to appear at London's Rainbow Theatre, on a bill featuring Charlie Feathers
, Buddy Knox
and Jack Scott. To his shock, Smith was received in London with standing ovations. His reception in England boosted his spirits and, upon his return to the U.S., he began to perform with new-found vigor. In November 1978, Smith and fellow Sun alumnus Ray Smith
toured Europe, again to great success.
In 1980, while preparing for another European tour, Smith died of a heart attack
at 47 years of age.
. Bob Dylan
has repeatedly featured Smith on his XM Satellite Radio
show, Theme Time Radio Hour
, playing Smith's records "Red Cadillac & A Black Moustache", "Uranium Rock", "Ubangi Stomp" and "So Long, I'm Gone". Dylan recorded a studio version of "Red Cadillac & A Black Moustache" in 2001 and also played that song and "Uranium Rock" in concert in 1986.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer and guitarist.
Biography
Smith was born in Humphreys County, MississippiHumphreys County, Mississippi
-Demographics:At the 2000 census, there were 11,206 people, 3,765 households and 2,695 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 per square mile . There were 4,138 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
to Iola and Willie Warren Smith, who divorced when he was young. He was raised by his maternal grandparents in Louise, Mississippi
Louise, Mississippi
Louise is a town in Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 315 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Louise is located at ....
where they had a small farm and dry goods
Dry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
store.
Smith took up the guitar to while away his evenings while in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
stationed in San Antonio, Texas. By the time of his discharge from the service, he had decided to make a career of music. He moved to West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 27,666 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 28,181 in 2005, and 31,329 in 2011 ranking it as the state's 11th largest city, behind Hot Springs...
and auditioned, successfully, to play the Cotton Club, a local hot spot. Steel guitarist Stan Kessler, who was playing at that nightclub with the Snearly Ranch Boys, immediately spotted Smith's potential and took him to Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
to audition for Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
, with the Snearly Ranch Boys providing backup.
Phillips liked what he heard, and decided that "Rock & Roll Ruby", a song credited to Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, would be Smith's first record. (Smith later claimed that "Rock & Roll Ruby" was actually written by George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
and sold to Cash for $40.) Smith recorded it on February 5, 1956. Phillips, who was hedging his bets over whether rock and roll would maintain its popularity, released that record with a country crooner, aptly named "I'd Rather Be Safe Than Sorry", on the flip side. By May 26, "Rock & Roll Ruby" had hit No. 1 on the local pop charts. Smith's first record for Sun went on to outsell the first Sun releases by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
.
In August 1956, Smith went back to the Sun Records studio to record his second release, "Ubangi Stomp". This infectious rocker had an incorrect lyric including an African chief with the syntax of a movie Indian. For the B side, Smith recorded the classic ballad "Black Jack David
The Gypsy Laddie
"The Gypsy Laddie" , also known as "Black Jack Davy" and "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies" among many other titles, is a Border ballad , possibly written about 1720 on the Scottish side of the border...
". This song, which originated in early 18th-century Britain and survived in various forms in the mountains of the American south, may be the oldest song ever recorded by a rock and roll performer. Although a resounding artistic success, it did not sell as well as Smith's debut.
In 1957, Smith recorded "So Long, I'm Gone", a song written by Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, and it did become Smith's biggest hit at Sun, peaking at No. 74 nationally (Billboard). But Sun had no cash to promote it at the same time as Sam Phillips put every dollar Sun had behind Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" is a song best known in the 1957 rock and roll/rockabilly hit version by Jerry Lee Lewis.-Origins of the song:...
". Although Smith continued to make rockabilly records for Sun, including a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Slim Harpo
Slim Harpo
Slim Harpo was an American blues musician. He was known as a master of the blues harmonica; the name "Slim Harpo" was derived from "harp," the popular nickname for the harmonica in blues circles.-Early life:...
's "Got Love If Your Want It" (recorded in October 1957), these records did not do well commercially. Toward the end of 1958, Smith, seeing his future in country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, cut a final record for Sun, a cover version of Don Gibson's
Don Gibson
Donald Eugene "Don" Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.-Biography:Don Gibson was...
"Sweet Sweet Girl". In spite of a review in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
calling it "ultra commercial", this record also failed to sell. Like other artists such as Sonny Burgess
Sonny Burgess
Albert Austin "Sonny" Burgess is an American rockabilly guitarist and singer....
, Hayden Thompson, Billy Lee Riley
Billy Lee Riley
Billy Lee Riley was an American rockabilly musician, singer, record producer and songwriter. His most memorable recordings included "Rock With Me Baby," and "Red Hot".-Biography:...
and Ray Harris
Ray Harris
Ray Harris was an American rockabilly musician and songwriter. He formed a band with Wayne Powers, and wrote the songs "Come On, Little Mama" and "Greenback Dollar, Watch and Chain". He eventually recorded these at Sun Records with Sam Phillips. He has also produced artists at Hi Records...
, chart success largely eluded him. Smith then decided to leave Sun Records.
In 1959, Smith and his wife and son moved from Mississippi to California, settling in Sherman Oaks, not far from Johnny and Vivian Cash. Cash offered Smith a spot on his show, but Smith turned it down, seeing himself as a headliner, not a supporting player. In early 1960, Smith signed with Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
, and immediately scored a hit with "I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today", which went to No. 5 on Billboard's Country & Western chart. This record, and Smith's subsequent records, were produced by Joe Allison
Joe Allison
Joe Marion Allison was an American Hall of Fame songwriter, a radio and television personality, a record producer, and a country music business executive....
, and featured one of California's best country session musicians, Ralph Mooney
Ralph Mooney
Ralph Mooney was a well known steel guitar player. He played with many country and western artists, including Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and played in Waylon Jennings' band for two decades....
, on pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
. Smith scored again with his next record for Liberty, "Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces", written by Harlan Howard
Harlan Howard
Harlan Perry Howard was a prolific American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote a large number of popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists...
. Liberty had Smith record several more tracks, mostly cover versions of recent country hits, to flesh out an album called The First Country Collection of Warren Smith.
Smith continued to record with some success for Liberty, and to tour with his band, from 1960–1965. On August 17, 1965, Smith had a serious car accident in LaGrange, Texas, suffering serious back injuries from which it took him nearly a year to recover. By this time, his contract with Liberty had lapsed. Smith made several attempts to restart his career, first with a small, virtually amateur label called Skill Records, then for Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
; but addictions to pills and alcohol held him back. Eventually, Smith's drug problems led to an 18-month term in an Alabama prison for robbing a pharmacy.
After his release from prison, Smith continued to struggle to restart his career. In the late 1970s, he got a bit of a boost from the rockabilly revival then occurring. He was invited, in 1977, to appear at London's Rainbow Theatre, on a bill featuring Charlie Feathers
Charlie Feathers
Charles Arthur "Charlie" Feathers was an influential American rockabilly and country music performer.-Biography:...
, Buddy Knox
Buddy Knox
Buddy Knox was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1957 rockabilly hit song, "Party Doll".-Biography:...
and Jack Scott. To his shock, Smith was received in London with standing ovations. His reception in England boosted his spirits and, upon his return to the U.S., he began to perform with new-found vigor. In November 1978, Smith and fellow Sun alumnus Ray Smith
Ray Smith (rockabilly singer)
Ray Smith was an American rockabilly musician.Smith recorded for Vee-Jay Records, Tollie Records, Smash Records, and Sun Records during his career, and had a hit with the song "Rockin' Little Angel" in 1960 on Judd Records. "Rockin' Little Angel" took a portion of its melody from the 1844 song...
toured Europe, again to great success.
In 1980, while preparing for another European tour, Smith died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at 47 years of age.
Legacy
Smith's contribution to rockabilly music has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of FameRockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
. Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
has repeatedly featured Smith on his XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
show, Theme Time Radio Hour
Theme Time Radio Hour
Theme Time Radio Hour was a weekly, one-hour satellite radio show hosted by Bob Dylan originally airing from May 2006 to April 2009...
, playing Smith's records "Red Cadillac & A Black Moustache", "Uranium Rock", "Ubangi Stomp" and "So Long, I'm Gone". Dylan recorded a studio version of "Red Cadillac & A Black Moustache" in 2001 and also played that song and "Uranium Rock" in concert in 1986.
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | The First Country Collection of Warren Smith | Liberty |
| 1978 | The Legendary Warren Smith | Lake Country |
| 1980 | Memorial Album | Big Beat |
| 1981 | The Last Detail | Charly |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
||
| 1956 | "Rock 'n' Roll Ruby" | — | — |
| "Ubangi Stomp" | — | — | |
| 1957 | "So Long I'm Gone" | — | 72 |
| 1958 | "Got Love If You Want It" | — | — |
| 1959 | "Sweet Sweet Girl" | — | — |
| 1960 | "I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today" | 5 | — |
| 1961 | "Odds and Ends (Bits and Pieces)" | 7 | — |
| "Why Baby Why Why Baby Why "Why Baby Why" is the title of a country music song co-written and originally recorded by George Jones. Released in late 1955 on Starday Records, and produced by Starday co-founder and Jones manager Pappy Daily, it peaked at #4 on the Billboard country charts that year... " (with Shirley Collie) |
23 | — | |
| "Why I'm Walking" (with Shirley Collie) | — | — | |
| "Call of the Wild" | 26 | — | |
| 1962 | "Five Minutes of the Latest Blues" | — | — |
| "Book of Broken Hearts" | — | — | |
| 1963 | "That's Why I Sing in a Honky Tonk" | 25 | — |
| 1964 | "Big City Ways" | 41 | — |
| "Blue Smoke" | 41 | — | |
| 1966 | "Future X" | — | — |
| 1968 | "When the Heartaches Get to Me" | — | — |
| 1972 | "Make It on Your Own" | — | — |
| "I Don't Believe" | — | — | |
| 1973 | "A Woman's Never Gone" | — | — |